The Mirror up to Nature:
I once had a friend who told a story about how he was drunk one snowy night. After his girlfriend dumped him he was stupidly driving drunk when, on the way home, his car broke down. He started to walk down the road looking for help, but it was really cold. He spotted a fenced in lot with a fleet of school buses in it he went to seek warmth in one of the school buses. After getting inside, he saw the keys were in the bus. In his drunk and desparing state he decided he would drive the schoolbus to the nearest service station to get help. He started up the school bus and tried to ram down the gate, which he did and then drove out onto the snowy road. The bus got stuck about the same time the police arrived the police chased him through the snow and some backyards until finally subdueing him.
Now I have told you the outline of his story, but to hear him tell it is an enjoyable experience. I am leaving out many details, and even some plot points that, well, pretty much seem to stretch belief. At these points in the story it is not uncommon for a member of the gathering to say: "No!" "No...they didn't!" or "You didn't?!"
These questions are not thrown out as accusations, but as almost joyful encouragements to continue.
Now, I am sure that my friend's actual experience was not as he had perfected it over numerous tellings. But would people really care that much if they knew that he never got the bus out of the parking lot before the cops showed up, and that his chase lasted about 50 yards before he stopped and let the burly cops wrestle him to the ground? Probably not. They might care though, if they found out that all or some of the core facts were completely made up. Or that the incident never happened.
5:58 PM
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